Purpose: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are considered to represent a host immune response against tumor. This study was carried out to analyze the effect of both FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) and CD8+ T lymphocytes in prognostic value of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Methods: Expressions of FoxP3, CD4, CD8 and CD34 in patient-matched tumors and peritumoral tissues were assessed by immunohistochemistry for 54 HCC patients. The prognostic effect of groups with high and low numbers was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier and Cox model analysis using median values as a cutoff. Results: Compared with the corresponding peritumoral tissue, the density of intratumoral Tregs was significantly higher, while the density of intratumoral CD8+ T cells was lower (p < 0.001 and p = 0.013, respectively). In addition, tumor-infiltrating Tregs were positively correlated with microvessel density in tumors (r = 0.334, p = 0.020). The high intratumoral Tregs density group showed a significantly lower survival rate (overall survival, p = 0.018; disease-free survival, p = 0.029). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that intratumoral Tregs density was an independent prognostic factor for HCC. Conclusions: Tumor-infiltrating Tregs may promote HCC progression by fostering angiogenesis and decreasing CD8+ T cells. High tumor-infiltrating Tregs are thought to be an unfavorable prognostic indicator for HCC.

Dysregulation of lipid metabolism is common in breast cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive and the contribution of aberrant lipid metabolism to the malignant phenotypes of breast cancer is poorly understood. Here, we show that the nuclear protein p54(nrb)/Nono is highly expressed in breast cancer tissues as compared with the adjacent normal tissues in human patients. To determine the functions of p54(nrb) in breast cancer, we performed a biochemical screen and identified SREBP-1a, a master activator for genes involved in lipid biosynthesis, as a novel interacting protein of p54(nrb). In human breast cancer tissues, the levels of p54(nrb) and SREBP-1a proteins were positively correlated with each other. Our biochemical analyses showed that the conserved Y267 residue of p54(nrb) was required for its binding to the nuclear form of SREBP-1a. Interestingly, p54(nrb) binding to nuclear SREBP-1a caused an increase of nuclear SREBP-1a protein stability. As a result, p54(nrb) stimulates SREBP-1-meidated transcription of lipogenic genes and lipid production in breast cancer cells. Moreover, both p54(nrb) and SREBP-1a were required for breast cancer cell growth in vitro, and p54(nrb) binding to nuclear SREBP-1a was also critical for breast tumor development in vivo. Together, we conclude that p54(nrb) is a novel regulator of SREBP-1a in the nucleus, and our data suggest that p54(nrb) regulation of SREBP-1a supports the increased cellular demand of lipids for breast cancer growth. Thus, the SREBP pathway may represent a novel target for treating breast cancer.

The expression of leptin in the tissue of gastric cancer was significantly associated with tumor histology, Borrmann classification, lymph node metastasis and stage of gastric cancer. In patients with poorly differentiated gastric cancer, a poor prognosis was found in those with a strong expression of leptin.